Kingborough councillor Aldo Antolli has announced he will run for mayor in the October local government election, saying he can no longer resist calls from residents demanding change.
The Margate resident said he had resisted community pressure to run for 18 months but has now adjusted his professional workload to focus on the campaign.
“The mood for change across the broader community is now unmistakable,” he told Pulse.
“It would be wrong of me to continue resisting that call.”
The councillor of four years has positioned himself as a problem-solver for frustrated residents struggling with council processes.
He said developers, families and small business owners regularly approached him for help navigating bureaucracy.
“There’s hope for people who feel disconnected from council,” Antolli said.
“The majority of the rural community feels disconnected and those in urban areas trying to do extensions are finding the process financially and emotionally destroying.”
Current mayor Paula Wriedt said she welcomed all candidates who wanted to put their hand up to run for council.
“It’s a positive sign of a healthy democracy,” she told Pulse.
“I can confirm I am running for Mayor again.”
“I’ll continue to work hard for our community and look forward to a respectful election campaign and constructive conversations with residents.”
Antolli said the gap between community aspirations and council response had widened over the four years he’d been involved.
“Council meetings have increasingly become a forum for recurring grievance,” he said.
“What Kingborough now needs is a circuit breaker.”
He criticised council’s handling of the new planning scheme implementation, saying Kingborough “generated more negative representations than any council before us” despite being last to implement it.
“We had the benefit of watching 28 other councils go through the process,” he said. “We exceeded their mistakes.”
Antolli has been CEO of five organisations including Pathways Tasmania and Crime Stoppers Tasmania, said he wants a council that serves rather than obstructs residents.
His main message for voters was he believes he can “reset the course and build a municipality that works for its people”.
“If you believe Kingborough deserves disciplined leadership, practical reform and a Council that serves rather than obstructs, then stand with me,” he said.
He promised detailed policy announcements in coming weeks.
